


Birthday in the snow white mountains

by PinkLotus (EspurrsVena)



Series: Birthday Series [9]
Category: JO1 (Japan Band)
Genre: Birthday Party, Fluff and Humor, Happy, looking back, no beta we die like real men, not much is happening besides the usual stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspurrsVena/pseuds/PinkLotus
Summary: Ruki didn't expect much for his birthday but it turns out to be a happy day.
Series: Birthday Series [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698286
Kudos: 10





	Birthday in the snow white mountains

After the showcase a few days ago Ruki didn’t expect much for his birthday itself. He had gotten his cake and thanks to having his face printed on that there was no cake smash this time. With the album to be released next week, their schedules had increased and the free time between those was used to practise for the online concert.   
All together Ruki expected a normal busy day. 

As always, he and the other members left for some schedule early in the morning. Ruki hadn’t gotten much sleep at night – too curious he had been about what the fans had planned. They had gotten him a castle – or was it some land around a castle? - already, thus he expected some more surprises. In the end he wasn’t disappointed of course. His name trended on Twitter and there were so many other cute things that his fans had prepared. 

Already last year or the year before he had felt blessed by what the fans had done for him. The slogans at the concept battles, the cheering adds or just celebrating with him... each one of the events still meant a lot to him, but the sheer amount of what was done for him this year made him feel like he was the prince of idols. 

Still, checking all the fans projects had taken some time, thus he decided to catch some sleep in the van. Once they arrived at their destination someone would wake him anyway. They needed him, didn’t they? 

However, even he realised that his nap took longer than it was supposed to take for a trip inside of Tokyo when he was woken up by Sho. One quick glance outside of the window told him they weren’t in Tokyo anymore, but somewhere at the countryside. To be exact they were somewhere in the mountains and it had snowed already. 

“Where are we?” He didn’t even remember having a schedule somewhere outside the capital.   
“At our destination.”, Sho explained while he woke up some other members in the car.   
“And that’s where?”   
“A ski resort. We are doing a winter themed shooting.” 

After all members had woken up, they were styled for the shooting and the day proceeded as usually. He smiled for the answer, gave the expected answers for the interview and thanked the staff when they presented him flowers for his birthday.   
He couldn’t complain about the day – it was what he wanted. Still, he had hoped that the members would surprise him in a way. 

So far, everyone had been quiet which could mean two things: either they thought that the small celebration on the weekend was enough or they had something up in their sleeves. If Ruki was honest, he had no idea which option was better because the last one could mean a bunch of chaos was waiting for him – and another wrongly sung birthday song. 

When the shooting was finished and everyone changed back into their daily clothes, Ruki expected them to return to their dorm, yet instead everyone made themselves comfortable in one of the cabins of the resort.   
“Are we not returning home today?” And why did everyone seemed to know about that but him? 

“No, we will return tomorrow morning. Naoto thought we can have a small break before the album promotions gear up again.”, once again their leader knew everything.   
“And why did no one tell me?”   
“If you checked the line group more often you would know.” Everyone – at least the ones who were listening – nodded in that moment.   
“Thanks a lot.” 

However, that short vacation wasn’t unwelcome. The cabin was cosy with a fireplace in the living room and there was still a free armchair near the fireplace.   
He hadn’t sat down for long when Ren pushed his own chair closer to him which surprised Ruki in a way. The dancer had even less muscles than him and those chairs seemed heavy. “Let’s play some games.”, the dancer said happily.   
“I don’t have my console with me.”   
“Don’t worry. Sho took all from his room with him this morning.” 

Right after Ren said that Ruki was handed his own console and the two started the game. At least the game remembered his birthday and gifted him some useful items, so he could finally win a few games against the merciless dancer. 

Yet what the birthday boy didn’t expect was that the whole thing was nothing but a distraction. While he was focussed on beating his once again same aged friend, all the other members prepared the birthday celebration in the background. Meanwhile Ruki didn’t suspect anything. He even assumed that Ren’s suspicious grinning was related to the game. 

Hence, when the room suddenly became dark, Ruki was startled. But Ren’s laugher and the soon beginning birthday song – which was sung in sync for once – calmed him down soon enough. When he turned around, he saw Sho carrying a cake with lots of sparklers while other members held some gifts and sang behind him.   
“Happy Birthday, Ruki!”, Ren announced with his signature bright smile and the other members did their greetings, too. 

After the song ended, Ruki got up from his seat and took a closer look of the cake. It was smaller than the one he had gotten at the showcase but it looked equally delicious.   
“Rukkun, this time you have to blow out the candles in one go.”, Shosei said with a grin.   
“Of course.” He did as asked, yet while he was busy with the candles Junki snuck behind him and dunked his face into the cake. “You brat!” 

“It’s a tradition.” As always, the singer just shrugged and didn’t see a problem with that. In turn it made the birthday boy plot revenge for his birthday next year. This brat wouldn’t win the war easily.   
Their leader meanwhile seemed to have expected that outcome because the birthday boy got a towel as soon as his face left the cake. “Thank you, Sho.” 

The rest of the cake was cut and distributed among the members who all sat down on the floor because it was simpler and they were able to sit closer to each other. When they were all together social distancing had never been a thing anyway. 

“A birthday fitting to a prince, I wonder how you guys want to surpass this for my birthday.”, Shion mentioned while eating his share of cake.   
“Who said that anyone plans surpass today’s party?” While he might have sounded a little angry in that moment, Ruki wasn’t angry at all at the younger one. He knew how excited Shion was for his birthday already, besides that there was still a month until the day.   
“Because Ren said so and I will turn an adult and it’s our first anniversary as a group.” 

“I didn’t say that. I only said that there will be something.”, corrected Ren the younger one.   
“But I’m also a prince.”   
“Suddenly you are one? I thought you are chihuazzly or however you call your alien species.”, sacrificing a bite of his cake, Ruki made sure to make the other one shut up by stuffing a piece into his month. 

The picture was so hilarious that the whole group laughed and the embarrassment made Shion shut up – for now. Ruki knew the group would make sure that Shion got an awesome party, too. But there was a time and place for everything and right now it was the time for Ruki – and the gifts for him. 

First up was Sho who was sitting right next to him. The gift from him seemed rather big, but once Ruki removed the wrapping paper he saw it was only a book. A huge cooking book.   
“It’s one suitable for beginners. I’m sure by your next birthday you will have mastered the art of cooking.”, the leader explained.   
“Thanks.” Honestly speaking, Ruki had expected such a gift either for his birthday or Christmas. Sho was quite serious about making him learn how to cook. Sure, it was kind of annoying sometimes that he had 0 cooking skills but so far, he survived perfectly fine on his own. 

“I have something better.”, Junki said with a bright grin. “I wrote a song for you.”   
“For real?”   
“He did not.”, commented Takumi with rolling eyes.   
“I did! Let me start!” After Junki sang the first five notes it was obvious that he did not and both Takumi and Keigo made him shut up. Yet the skit made Ruki laugh anyway. 

“So, what is your actual gift?”   
“Here, some coupons that I will cook for you.” The coupons looked like some child had made them and for a moment he assumed that Takumi actually had made them, but the handwriting on those was obviously Junki’s one.   
“Thanks, brat.”   
“Don’t call me like that!” 

Speaking of Takumi, he was the next one who handed a present to Ruki. It was smaller than Sho’s one but it smelt nicely. After opening it he found some of the macaron shaped bathbombs that the pink haired one started to use recently. “Thank you. At least one of you got some taste.” 

“If you liked Takumi’s gift already, you will love mine.” Keigo literally pushed his gift into Ruki’s arms. It was huge but not as heavy as Sho’s book. After opening it, Ruki found a new hoodie from his favourite brand and yes, he loved Keigo’s gift. The tall one was the only one of the members with a good fashion sense anyway. “I knew I could trust you. Thanks.” 

Next up was Syoya and as Ruki correctly guessed the younger one gifted him some cosmetic – like Syoya had done for pretty much all member’s birthdays. Still, Ruki didn’t mind. The black haired one seemed to have found his passion in the topic and so far, their dermatologist had always approved the gifts the other members had gotten. “Thanks.” 

Issei followed Syoya and for a minute the shape of the gift confused Ruki. However, after he unwrapped it, he found personalised autographs of one of his favourite comedians. “Did you get that at work?”   
“Yes, when I saw him, I had to think of you.”   
“Thank you, Mamecchi.” 

Looking back, it felt kind of weird that he got such wonderful gifts from people to who he hadn’t even talked to a year ago or that called them affectionally. While Ruki seemed social, he wasn’t social at all and he preferred to stick with the people he knew. Thus, all the members who had gifted him something so far – excluding Sho – were among those people he hadn’t talked to before the formation for their group. Initially, he had been quite insecure about that and that’s why he hadn’t offered himself to become a leader besides having some experience on that position. Eventually, everything went well and he was content with his current position in the group and his relationship with the other members. 

Speaking of people, he hadn’t talked to a year ago, Sukai was up next and the small box he was handed looked suspiciously. “Sukai, what is that?”   
“Something harmless, Rurutan, don’t worry.”   
But Ruki did worry, especially after Ren who was sitting next to him started to laugh. “Sukai, I swear if there are any bugs or bug eggs inside, I’m going to murder you.”   
“No bug eggs. They wouldn’t have survived the cold outside.” 

Luckily, Sukai didn’t lie and instead of the feared bug eggs there was a stylish necklace inside. “Thank you, Sukai. But why did you laugh, Ren?”   
“Your face. It was hilarious.” The dancer was still laughing and high-fived the other member with the fox eyes.   
“You two are not foxes, you are devils...” 

In the meantime, Shion wasn’t sulking anymore, so the boy handed over his gift.   
While Ruki didn’t fear any bugs from him, Shion’s questionable fashion sense was something scary, too, but luckily the gift seemed to be too small for any of Shion’s infamous patterned shirts. Rather, it was a gift card for the appstore of his phone. “Did you forget my birthday and got it last night at the kombini?”   
“No, I didn’t know what to give you...” In that moment the younger one looked pitifully, thus the birthday boy couldn’t even try to be angry at him.   
“It’s okay, Shion. Don’t be sad.” 

Shion was two years older than Issei, yet he struggled the most with living alone and being an adult. Even Ruki couldn’t judge him or stay mad at him for long, so he hugged the boy. He might not be a part of the leader line, yet as one of the older members, Ruki also felt responsibility for the younger ones. One small glance over to Sho, confirmed that he was doing the right thing and soon after the next birthday boy was in a better mood again. 

Shosei was next and he also got only an envelope from the fellow S4 member, yet the content was much more thoughtful: tickets for a day in Disneyland.   
“I hope we get a day off during Christmas season. The decoration seems so beautiful.”   
“If we ask Naoto nicely, I’m sure he will give us a free day.” 

Actually, Ruki doubted his own words. Even during his underground idol days, the Christmas season has been one of the busiest times with various events. It always made him feel less lonely in that season of couples, but sometimes he wanted to enjoy the decorations and illuminations of the time, too. But now that he had finally become a major idol, he was sure that this season would be even more busy than before and, in a way, he was glad about that. He was living his dream and that was a proof of that. Still, he didn’t want to crush the hopes of the younger one. 

The last one left was Ren. While the dancer loved to play his games with him, when it came to more serious things like gifting something, Ruki knew he could trust him.   
The gift looked somewhat huge, too, but it wasn’t something heavy. After opening it, Ruki found a backpack which had the perfect size to store all the other gifts he had gotten that day. Hence, Ruki was pretty sure that at least the older members had coordinated their gifts in a way. 

Later the evening there was even pizza delivered to them – a gift from Naoto – and together with the other members Ruki enjoyed that rare free time. Such nights were good for their bond which was already deeper than the one he had with his previous group members. Sometimes it was hard to believe that everything happened for real. 

Maybe for the first time in his life, Ruki felt like he had found his spot in the world. He had known that this spot was somewhere in the entertainment world but the exact spot had been difficult to locate. But now after a long search he had found his spot and his happiness. 

Still, the long search had been worth it. He felt loved not only by his fans but also by the members. Sure, they had sometimes their own weird ways to express that love, but nevertheless it was there and he could feel it on days like that. When he had entered the audition a year ago, he had thought that he had only found his last chance in the idol industry. In a way it was true, but much more important was the family he had found along the way. Without them he wouldn’t feel as happy as he was in that moment. 

All his dreams had come true – save the one performing at the Budokan but if it wasn’t for the virus that would have happened by now, too – since his last birthday, thus Ruki couldn’t imagine a better birthday. Sure, he missed his family and some of his other friends in that moment, yet there were many more years ahead of him with the members and many more happy birthdays he could celebrate with them. Something he truly looked forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Ruki!  
> To be honest, I struggled a little with the AU because no plot wanted to come but I hope it turned out sweet anyway.  
> Luv you, too, Ruki. Don't take it personal TT  
> Well see you~


End file.
